Newsletter

SUNDAY 7^th January 2024

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD, YEAR B, Page 115

Readings: Isiah 60:1-6, Psalm 71 Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12

 

Sat   6^th Jan         17.30  Confessions

                            18.00                      For the Parish

 

Sun  7^th Jan           THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD 

                            08.30                     Victor Jeyaseelan (Jeyaseelan) 

10.30                     David Brailsford (Brailsford)

 

Mon  8^th Jan        09.15  BAPTISM OF THE LORD Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                            10.00                     Pet Kilcullen (Kilcullen)

 

Tues 9^th Jan        09.15                Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                            10.00                     Bernie King (M.Fitzpatrick) 

 

Wed 10^th Jan       09.15                Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                            10.00                      Tony Speed RIP (Speed)  

 

Thurs 11^th Jan          tba

 

Fri    12^th Jan        09.15               Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 

                             10.00                     Souls in Purgatory (B.Gillespie)

 

Sat   13^th Jan        17.30      Confessions

 18.00                    Harrington & Sheehan families RIP (Sheehan)

 

Sun     14^th Jan          SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR 

                             08.30                    Phil Heavey (Traynor)

                             10.30                    Eileen Wheatley (Hughes)

 

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

All masses are streamed live and can be viewed via the link:

Recordings are available. The Sunday sermon is also on the website in printed form.

 

FINANCES   

Many thanks for your offertory collection last week:  Incl. S.O.s                     £1001.38

                                                                                                                                                            

Direct Bank Payments to RCAS Bexley, Sort code 51 70 14, Account 01831763

Please put your name and if you use envelopes, your envelope number, as the code.

Card Payment Machine – located in the porch, is easy to use.  

Gift Aid Please join the GIFT AID scheme – Forms are at the back of the Church. For every £1.00 donated the Parish receives 25p from the Tax Office. Standing Orders are best for us. Thank you.

 

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.30 mass

 

Newsletter: Please copy notices to Fr Doug by the previous Wednesday

 

 Dear Parishioners,

As the new year gets underway, it is traditional to make new year resolutions. What about this one:

Do all the good you can

By all the means you can

In all the ways you can

In all the places you can

At all the times you can

To all the people you can

As long as ever you can

                                                                 John Wesley

 

Maybe something less ambitious? How about resolving to keep the main church quiet after mass for people to pray, and instead take conversations into the foyer or the porch or even the hall? 

 

In this coming year, our parish resolution is to give our parish hall a makeover, and in particular we want to renovate the toilet facilities there and, in the church, too. A first class parish should have  first class facilities.

 

                                              God Bless,                        Fr Doug

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS:  To Oliver McAlpine who is being baptized at our 10.30 mass. He will then go on to receive Holy Communion for the first time later in the mass. Congratulations as well to his family and we welcome any guests attending the ceremony.

 

FESTIVE PARTY :  Congratulations to all those who organised and ran our Parish Festive Party. It was an excellent event, enjoyed by all who came along – to whom we also say, “thank you.” Apart from all the enjoyment, the event raised £500 towards our hall refurbishment project.

 

HOLY COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION 2024

Both these programmes are getting underway, and no more applications can be accepted.

 

BRIDIE HAYLETT RIP:  Please pray for the soul of Bridie who has died.

We still do not have a date for Bridie’s funeral, sad to say.

 

CHURCH CLEANING:  A big THANK YOU to the parishioners who give up time to help keep our church clean. The rota for 2024 is now available from our cupboard. We would be grateful if more came forward to either join an existing group or make up a new one.  Currently, each group cleans once every 10 weeks for about an hour.  If you might be able to help, ring Carole Hughes on 07762 731303.

 

WWW.GOODCOUNSELNETWORK.COM

“On Friday 12^th January, the eve of the 27^th anniversary of the founding of The Good Counsel Network, please pray and fast for the end of abortion in this Country. Through God’s grace we have seen thousands of Mothers in our counselling centre continue their pregnancies in very difficult circumstances. Please help us to help save lives with your prayers, fasting and support. www.GoodCounselNetwork.com

SUNDAY 31st December 2023

HOLY FAMILY, Year B

Readings: Genesis 15:1-5, 21:1-3, Psalm 104, Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19, Luke 2:22-40

 

Sat   30th Dec       17.30    Confessions

18.00                   For the Parish

Sun  31st Dec      HOLY FAMILY of JESUS, MARY and JOSEPH        

                              08.30                    In Thanksgiving (Li/Sparkes)

10.30                   The Choir

Mon  1st Jan          09.15  Mary, Mother of God  Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 

10.00                   Harrington Family & Relatives RIP (Sheehan)   

Tues 2nd Jan         09.15  Ss Basil & Gregory     Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                               10.00                   Anita Rowland RIP (Connolly) 

Wed  3rd Jan          09.15                  Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                               10.00                    Eilish Melen RIP  

 

Fri     5th Jan          09.15                   Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament  

                    10.00                    Sue Johnson RIP (Kilcullen)

Sat    6th Jan         17.30     Confessions

18.00                    For the Parish

Sun     7th Jan           THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

                               08.30                  Victor Jeyaseelan  (Jeyaseelan)

                               10.30                  David Brailsford RIP (Brailsford)

 

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

All masses are streamed live and can be viewed via the link:

Recordings are available. The Sunday sermon is also on the website in printed form.

 

FINANCES   

Many thanks for your offertory collection last week:            Incl. S.O.s                     £995.67

                                                                                                                                                            

Direct Bank Payments to RCAS Bexley, Sort code 51 70 14, Account 01831763

Please put your name and if you use envelopes, your envelope number, as the code.

Card Payment Machine – located in the porch, is easy to use.  

Gift Aid Please join the GIFT AID scheme – Forms are at the back of the Church. For every £1.00 donated the Parish receives 25p from the Tax Office. Standing Orders are best for us. Thank you.

 

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.30 mass

Newsletter: Please copy notices to Fr Doug by the previous Wednesday

 

 Dear Parishioners,

More of a letter than a newsletter this week!!   As we begin this New Year, let me look forward and wish you and your families every blessing but also look back to the year past and thank everyone who has given so much to the parish: 

To the parish council, and to all the groups and activity that they lead or coordinate – including our AIC, our M.C. and altar servers, the teams for baptism, first holy communion, confirmation, and children’s liturgies, our finance team, our gift aid organiser, our premises committee; our offertory collection counters, our welcome teams at masses, our coffee morning organisers, our events committee, the mass intention organizer, the SVP team, the liturgy committee, our newsletter team, the representatives for diocesan and national charities, our hall manager, our meeting point helpers, the church care team, the flower arrangers, the Christmas Crib and Easter garden builders, the Christmas tree team, the organists, the choir and their leader, our Eucharistic ministers, shop staff and sacristans, the parish secretary, our readers, the safeguarding team and the person who runs our website and offers other technical support, and indeed everyone who has taken part in our parish activity and helped to carry our mission forward. On behalf of the whole parish, I say a big THANK YOU to you all.

 

At this time, I also want to say a huge THANK YOU to you all, for all your cards and gifts and your wonderfully generous Christmas offering. I am humbled by your sincerity.

Fr Peter has also asked me to thank you for all your kindness to him. I am sure it means a lot, when you are retired, to know that you are still valued. 

 

Our Parish Finance Committee carries a big workload that continues to grow in complexity. At its heart has been Brian Fernandes who has been Chairman as well as covering a number of other tasks, and Edna Fernandes who has been dealing with all the gift-aided contributors. I, and we, should be so grateful to them for all that they have done over many years. They have recently been gifted with a grandchild… and also gifted with the weekday responsibility for childcare. Wonderful (?!) for them but not so good for our finance team, as they can no longer spend time during the week in our office! Again, thank you, so very much, Brian and Edna, for everything.

 

I am very pleased though to inform you, that new team members have stepped forward, so now the committee is as follows:

Chair: Shane Howie; Accountant: Sandeep Monteiro; Gift Aid: Richard Gillespie; 

Financial Secretary: Errol Colaco; Counters Organiser: Patricia McQuaid

Data Managers: Madeline Grainger, Amyas Mascarenhas, Errol Colaco 

 

In this coming year we hope to give our parish hall a makeover, and in particular we want to renovate the toilet facilities – in the church too. A first class parish should have a first class hall.

So, I wouldn’t be doing the new finance committee justice if I didn’t ask at the beginning of a new year, that you examine your financial contribution to the church and see if you can’t afford a little more to match our increasing challenges caused by fuel inflation in particular.

 

I for one, found the Parish celebration of Christmas quite moving. There were many beautiful touches, but none more than the improvements to our crib. (Thank you Peter.) How ironic that this sign of peace and goodwill should be in such contrast to the situation in the Holy Lands. As you know the crib offerings this year will be going out to the Holy Lands to try to keep people alive. Your offerings so far have been remarkable. Christmas continues till the feast of The Baptism Of The Lord, so the Crib Offerings Basket will remain in place till then.

 

God Bless,                                                           Fr Doug

SUNDAY 24^th December 2023

FOURTH OF ADVENT,YEAR B

Readings: 2 Samuel 7,  Psalm 88, Rom 16:25-27, Luke 1 2-38

 

Sat   23^rd Dec        17.30  Confessions

18.00                      Ron Aspeek RIP (Morris)

Sun  24^th Dec       FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT             

                              08.30                     Marie Sullivan RIP (Kennedy) 

10.30                     Hollis Family (Hollis)

 

FEAST OF CHRISTMAS

Vigil Mass             18.00                     Kay Gillespie RIP (J.Gillespie)

Christmas Night    22.00                     Maria & Giuseppe Nucera RIP (Highland)

Mon 25th Dec       08.30                     Barry Southgate RIP (Cannon)

                             10.30                     Ron Aspeek RIP (M.Fitzpatrick)

Tue  26^th Dec        09.15  St Stephen   Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                              10.00                    Peggy Lawlor RIP (Kilcullen) 

Wed 27^th Dec        09.15  St John   Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                              10.00                   Harrington & Sheehan Families RIP  

Thurs 28^th Dec       08.00  Holy Innocents    Priest’s Intention

Fri      29^th Dec       09.15               Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament  

                              10.00                   Foundation: Jamie Cowdell RIP

Sat    30^th Dec       17.30   Confessions

18.00                   For the Parish

Sun     31^st Dec         HOLY FAMILY of JESUS, MARY and JOSEPH

                               08.30                  In Thanksgiving (Li/Sparkes)

                               10.30                  The Choir

 

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

All masses are streamed live and can be viewed via the link:

Recordings are available. The Sunday sermon is also on the website in printed form.

 

FINANCES   

Many thanks for your offertory collection last week:            Incl. S.O.s                     £996.59

Sunday Collections are for the parish.

The Collection on Christmas Day is your gift to your Parish Priest                                                                                                                                                                   

Direct Bank Payments to RCAS Bexley, Sort code 51 70 14, Account 01831763

Please put your name and if you use envelopes, your envelope number, as the code.

Card Payment Machine – located in the porch, is easy to use.  

Gift Aid Please join the GIFT AID scheme – Forms are at the back of the Church. For every £1.00 donated the Parish receives 25p from the Tax Office. Standing Orders are best for us. Thank you.

 

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.30 mass

 

Newsletter: Please copy notices to Fr Doug by the previous Wednesday

Dear Parishioners, 

And so we reach the 4^th week of Advent, but not for very long! Christmas begins Sunday evening at 6 p.m. mass. So let me jump right ahead and wish you all a very happy Christmas. 

 

I, like many others, enjoy being with family at this time but I can’t celebrate without in some way being alongside our brothers and sisters in Gaza. I have for many years supported “The Friends of the Holy Land”, a charity in Bethlehem, and I will be proud to support them again this Christmas, with funds I will set aside from your Christmas Offering (to me). Here is part of a letter I received from Brendan Metcalfe, CEO, Friends of the Holy Land:

 

Dear Father Doug, Like all of us at Friends of the Holy Land, I know you’ll be heartbroken and appalled by the siege of the Holy Family parish in Gaza. We know first-hand, that civilians sheltering in the Church last Saturday have been killed by Israeli forces and the sisters’ home for children and young people with severe disabilities has been heavily damaged after being targeted with tank fire. Pope Francis has condemned the attacks as “terrorism” and our patron Cardinal Vincent Nichols has denounced the “cold blooded killings”.  Both have called for a ceasefire.

We have sent over £90,000 so far, so that some of those sheltering in churches and the hospital can survive. Bethlehem is in turmoil and all celebrations have been called off in solidarity with those suffering. The situation for our Christian family in the Holy Land has gone from very difficult to critical, and it is possible that there will be no Christians left in the homeland of our faith. 

 

So, please donate freely to the crib offerings basket, or use our parish account (mark it clearly) or contribute directly: Friends of the Holy Land. Account: 24591211.  Sort Code: 60-05-41 

 

                            God Bless,                        Fr Doug

 

FESTIVE PARTY for everyone! :  Friday 29th Dec 2-5pm. £5 Adults, £3 primary school children. Please come and celebrate the festive time with entertainment for young and old – you, your children and grandchildren. Children’s games / face painting /raffle (re-gifted Christmas presents gratefully received) / Live singer / Open bar. Please bring your own nibbles. Free Pizza for those who are on Santas ‘good list!’ 

 

CONFIRMATION 2024:  Application forms are now available in the foyer for our Confirmation programme. Young people who are 13/14 and in year 9 or above can join. Please submit all completed forms to Father Doug 

 

BRIDIE HAYLETT RIP:  Please pray for the soul of Bridie who has died.

 

CHURCH CLEANING :  A big THANK YOU to the parishioners who give up time to help keep our church clean. The rota for 2024 is now available from our cupboard. We would be grateful if more came forward to either join an existing group or make up a new one.  Currently, each group cleans once every 10 weeks for about an hour.  If you might be able to help, ring Carole Hughes on 07762 731303.

 

FLOWERS AT CHRISTMAS:  We always enjoy the wonderful floral arrangements that grace our Church at Christmas. If you wish to be involved by offering financial support, feel free to donate using the donation box in the wall at the back of church on the right-hand side, or use an envelope, suitably marked.

 

SR ANGELA WOOTTON :  Our former parish Sister sends warm Christmas greetings to all her friends here. She still lives at 83 Watling Street, Bexleyheath and is delighted to receive visitors provided her care staff are forewarned (tel: 01322-528408). Sr Angela reached 98 years old on 13^th December.